It is commonplace for users of PBXs and other communication systems to be directed to voice mail when they attempt to reach a potential collaborator. However, this is not entirely appropriate for situations in which the parties need to directly talk to each other. The calling party can leave a message requesting to be called back but there is no assurance that the called party will listen to the voice mail in a timely manner or that the calling party will be available when the called party makes the requested return call. The familiar game of ‘telephone tag’ is created in this way.
Telephone tag is but a symptom of a larger problem. Social science research has indicated that informal interaction is an essential element of workplace life to provide for both innovation and efficiency. Telephone tag is then a symptom of impaired interaction that indicates that electronic communication services can be improved. To this end, the telecommunications industry has been developing presence and availability technology to provide for the necessary element of causal awareness. These allow users to share their current availability with potential collaborators. However knowledge of current availability is not useful when called party is not available and the parties need to communicate with each other.